Tag Archives: Breakfast Recipes

Breakfast in Bed – Creamy Spinach Crêpes

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Post by Alison Hein.

Sometimes I’m in the mood for a sweet breakfast, but more often than not, I like to start the day with a savory meal. Crêpes are so wonderfully versatile that they adapt either way. You can make flavorful creamed spinach as a dinner side, then heat in the morning for an elegant meal. And get in the habit of freezing crêpes, which thaw in an instant and heat up nicely with a quick finish under the broiler – impressive and tasty for overnight or brunch guests; flavorful and elegant for a savory breakfast in bed.

Creamy Spinach Crepes 1

Buckwheat Crêpes

1¼ cups buckwheat flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil, plus additional for frying
¾ cup milk
1¼ cups water

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Preparation

Add buckwheat flour and salt to a large bowl. Add eggs, vegetable oil, milk and water and whisk until smooth batter forms. Add additional water for a thinner batter, if you like.

Heat a 10-inch-diameter nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Brush pan with oil. Add ¼ cup of batter to pan, tilting to coat bottom. Cook crêpe until golden on bottom, 30 to 45 seconds, adjusting heat as necessary to prevent burning.

Using a spatula or butter knife, flip crêpe and continue to cook until dark gold, about 1 minute longer. Keep warm, while continuing the process with the remainder of batter.

Makes 12 – 16 crêpes.

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Creamy Spinach and Crêpe Assembly

16 ounces frozen chopped spinach
4 tablespoons butter
1 shallot, finely chopped
4 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
Dash of nutmeg
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon grated Swiss cheese per crêpe
Mint sprigs, for garnish

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Preparation

Cook spinach in boiling water until tender, about 4 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

To make white sauce, melt butter in small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped shallot and cook until softened, about 1 minute. Whisk in flour until smooth, thick paste forms. Whisk in milk and cook until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Stir cooked spinach into white sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.

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Place about ¼ cup on each crêpe, then delicately roll into a long cylinder and place on oven proof dish. Continue process for as many crêpes as you plan to assemble, then top each one with about 1 tablespoon of grated cheese. Place under broiler about 4 inches from heat, and cook until cheese starts to brown, about 30 seconds. Garnish with mint and serve immediately.

Makes about 4 cups of creamed spinach.

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Breakfast in Bed – The Drinking of the Green

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Post by Alison Hein.

St. Patrick’s Day is coming up next week – a day when everyone is Irish. A day to eat, drink, dance and be merry. A day to honor Irish heritage.

In Ireland, folk have been wearing green shamrocks and ribbons on St. Patty’s Day since the late 1600s. “The wearing of the green” refers to an old ballad, its lyrics lamenting the repression of supporters of the Irish rebellion of 1798 (listen to a moving recording of the famous Irish tenor John McCormack singing The Wearing of the Green on YouTube).

To add to the festivities this year, let’s don green clothing, and also drink green drinks. I’m not a big fan of green beer, so I’ve come up with two different options for you – one steaming hot, one icy cold; either with or without a nip of spirits – but both vibrant, emerald green.

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How to achieve this lovely shade? With Japanese sweet green tea powder (this is America, after all). Matcha, the fine-ground and sweetened powdered tea, brings a smooth density to the creamy Matcha Milkshake, and a cocoa-like, satisfying richness to the Irish Green Tea Latte. Still questioning my choice of ingredients to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? I must admit, I did a little back and forth myself until I received a sign from the matcha package itself – brand name Rishi. If you move the final letter “I” to the front of “Rishi”, what do you get? You guessed it! An Irish breakfast in bed!

Éirinn go Brách!

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Matcha Milkshake

2 scoops vanilla ice cream (about ¾ cup)
1 cup milk
1 tablespoon (green tea) sweet matcha powder
Splash of Bailey’s Irish Cream (optional)
Dollop of whipped cream
Spring of fresh mint, for garnish

Preparation

Add ice cream, milk, matcha powder and Bailey’s to a blender. Purée until thick and smooth. Pour into a festive glass, and top with whipped cream and mint. Enjoy immediately.

Makes 1 milkshake.

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Irish Green Tea Latte

1 cup milk
1 tablespoon (green tea) sweet matcha powder
Splash of Irish whiskey (optional)
Dollop of whipped cream
Spring of fresh mint, for garnish

Preparation

Add milk and matcha powder to small, heavy saucepan. Heat until warmed to desired temperature. Alternatively, stir matcha powder into milk and steam with a cappuccino machine or handheld steam wand. Stir in whisky. Pour into a tall mug. Top with whipped cream and mint and serve immediately.

Makes 1 latte.

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Breakfast in Bed – Thai Basil Pesto Scrambled Eggs

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Post by: Alison Hein

If life gives you lemons, you should make lemonade. But what do you do if life gives you a whole bunch of Thai basil? Make pesto, of course!

Such was my experience recently when I was trimming my sweet little miracle garden. (See the Rolled Omelet with Fresh Herbs post to learn more.) My little patch of herbs is so prolific that I need to trim it every day to prevent delicate chives, cilantro, parsley and basil from singing their tips on the grow lights. During this process, I inadvertently knocked off my entire Thai Basil plant! Sad but inspired, I set to work on salvage and enterprise.

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Traditional Italian pesto, which originated in the northern Liguria region, consists of fresh basil, garlic, pine nuts, parmesan and local sheep milk cheeses. Tangy, fragrant, and lightly richened with nuts, pesto livens up fresh-cooked pasta, slow-simmered beans, or scrambled eggs.

I’ve substituted walnuts for pine nuts in my version, and have omitted the cheeses for better freezing of any excess pesto. I learned a neat trick many years ago – if you have an old-fashioned ice cube tray, fill it with tablespoon-sized portions of pesto, then freeze for individual servings. One tablespoon is just right for a single serving of pasta, or in this case, scrambled eggs. Add any cheeses later, when you are ready to partake of a candlelit Italian dinner, or a tangy, fragrant breakfast in bed.

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Pesto Ingredients

2 cups packed Thai basil (or other basil) leaves, plus additional sprig for garnish
2 cloves garlic, peeled
½ cup walnuts (or pine nuts)
½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus additional 2 teaspoons for cooking eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Clean and dry basil and set aside. Add garlic and walnuts to blender and chop. Add basil, then with blender running on low, pour in olive oil and purée until smooth and thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Makes about ¾ cup pesto.

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Thai Basil Pesto Scrambled Eggs

2 eggs
1 tablespoon Thai basil pesto
3 tablespoons parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

Heat olive oil in small, heavy pan over medium low heat. Break eggs into small bowl and whisk well. Stir in pesto and 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese. Add egg mixture to heated pan and allow to cook slowly and gently. Stir and lift frequently with wooden spoon to avoid sticking. Sprinkle with remaining 1 tablespoon of parmesan cheese, season with salt and pepper, garnish with fresh basil leaves and serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving.

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Breakfast in Bed – Rolled Omelet with Fresh Herbs

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Post by Alison Hein.

Our garden is very shady and rocky, with just enough light and soil to grow a few herbs. Fortunately, lush green parsley, silvery thyme, and sprightly rosemary are a weedy bunch at heart, demanding little more than a touch of sun and a few drops of water to flourish.

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During the winter months, I have been forced to rely on supermarket purchases to dress up my dishes with greenery. Until this year, that is. My son and daughter-in-law gifted me with the most adorable (and highly effective) indoor grow garden. It requires even less care than my outdoor plants, and grows at a remarkable rate with 16 hours of light a day. Such a perfect gift for a cook and food blogger! A handful of this, a sprig of that – photos (and dishes) are markedly enhanced.

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So, I decided to create a simple breakfast to showcase my lovely stash. A simple golden omelet makes the perfect palette for my fine greenery. And, rolled up crêpe-like, it also makes the perfect presentation. I used an equal mix of fresh parsley, basil, cilantro and chives in my whipped cream cheese base, but feel free to experiment with the herbs of your choosing for a breakfast in bed filled with garden greenery – smack dab in the middle of February! J

P.S. The herbed cheese also makes a wonderful filling for earthy buckwheat crêpes, or spread on cooked artichoke bottoms for a healthy nosh.

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Ingredients

¼ cup whipped cream cheese
2 tablespoons chopped, mixed herbs (try equal portions of parsley, basil, cilantro and chives), plus additional for garnish
1 tablespoon butter
2 eggs
1 tablespoon milk
Salt and pepper, to taste

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Preparation

Add cream cheese and herbs to small bowl and mix together gently. Set aside until ready to use.

Melt butter in small, heavy pan over medium heat. Break eggs into small bowl, add milk, and whisk until thick and smooth. Pour egg mixture into heated pan all at once and swirl to evenly cover the pan. Reduce heat to low. Continue to cook, occasionally pushing eggs back around the edges to allow uncooked portion to flow through. Alternatively, reduce heat to simmer, cover pan and continue to cook until set. Cook until eggs are firm and set in one flat round.

Slide egg round from pan onto work surface or plate. Spread herbed cheese on top of cooked egg. Season with salt and pepper. Roll up omelet and top with additional fresh herbs, if you like. Serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving.

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Breakfast in Bed – Cherry Pie Oatmeal

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Post by Alison Hein.

I’ve been thinking about Washington state since the Super Bowl last week (one I’m sure Seahawks fans would like to forget). But Washingtonians can still be thankful for the glorious bounty of local food products. If you’ve ever been to colorful Pike Street Market in Seattle you’ll know what I mean – fresh seafood piled artfully on crushed blue ice; reds and purples and greens of giant radishes, eggplants and peppers; and the lovingly grown apples, berries and ruby red cherries.

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Many years ago I picked cherries while I was living in eastern Washington. They were so lush and plump, so fun to snap off the branches, a sturdy pop and then the freeing of the fruit. Many were eaten right on the spot, but many more ended up in a heavy cardboard box. I took them home and ate some more. Then I froze some, canned some, dried some, and made cherry jam. Finally, I made the pièce de résistance – bubbling hot, sweet and spiced, lattice work cherry pie.

Later that year, during a sparse winter, I remembered my dried cherries. Why not bring some cheer to my boring oatmeal breakfast? I would add some dried cherries to my rolled grain, some brown sugar and a touch of cinnamon, then let the flavors slowly simmer and meld. Why not have a cherry-pie-like breakfast in bed?

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Ingredients

1 cup water
Dash of salt
½ cup rolled oats
¼ cup dried tart cherries
¼ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
Dash of cinnamon
Pat of butter

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Preparation

Pour water and salt into a small heavy saucepan. Bring liquid to a slow boil over medium heat. Stir in oats, reduce heat to low, and cook for a minute or two, stirring occasionally. Stir in dried cherries, brown sugar, vanilla and cinnamon. Cover and cook on very low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, until oats are soft and mixture is thickened. Spoon oatmeal into a bowl and top with a pat of butter. Serve immediately.

Makes 1 serving.

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